Message from the Chair

When I visited Fordham as a high schooler, it immediately felt like home. My parents were from the Bronx, and my paternal grandparents still lived on Bedford Park Boulevard and the Grand Concourse, but the connection I felt was not purely geographic. And while I was struck by the beauty of the Rose Hill campus, it was more than that too. Fordham felt like home to me because I could sense goodness and kindness in the people I met there.

Today, my feelings about Fordham have never been stronger. I’m a 1986 graduate of the Gabelli School of Business. My wife, Tracy O’Neill, is a 1987 Fordham graduate and a member of the Fordham College at Rose Hill advisory board. Our son Ryan earned a bachelor’s degree from the University in 2015. And I could not be prouder to serve as chair of the President’s Council. 

Tracy and I came from middle-class backgrounds, and Fordham helped us launch our careers. We have been blessed to be able to return the favor with an endowed scholarship that helps students—many from the Bronx—afford the remarkable Jesuit education that Fordham offers and use it to launch fulfilling careers of their own. Along with financial giving, we both find it immensely rewarding to network with alumni and share our time and knowledge with students and University leadership.

When I mentor students—through my involvement with the President’s Council and in my role as CEO of corporate banking at PNC Financial Services Group—I like to encourage them to lead with integrity, to never sacrifice their moral values. It’s a principle that is at the heart of a Fordham education, and it is one I am honored to try to uphold as I work with President Tania Tetlow and my fellow council members to help Fordham continue to educate leaders with integrity and people for others.

Terry Begley, GABELLI ’86
Chair, Fordham University President’s Council